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Even as Barack Obama takes eight days off from the campaign trail to vacation in Hawaii, where he lived for much of his youth, the Republican National Committee is again attempting to paint the Democrat as an out-of-touch elitist, this time in a mock “Barack Obama’s Hawaii Travel Guide” tweaking the Democrat for having attended an elite prep school there.

“Barack Obama’s Hawaii Travel Guide,” e-mailed to reporters on Friday, lists four "destinations," among them the beach locals claim is the one where Obama was photographed in his swim trunks in a shot that ran in People magazine early last year, and "Punahou School, a coeducational college preparatory day school" that Obama attended "from 1971 to 1979. The school campus covers 76 acres at the edge of the Manoa Valley."

Obama, raised by a singe mother, entered the prestigious school at age ten on a scholarship. “No one means to demean the academic successes of Barack Obama or the schools he attended,” said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. “The RNC and this campaign have sought to simply point out that on his Hawaii travels, there are certain landmarks reporters will likely see and this was a way to put those on the map.”

Obama's elite schooling may prove a risky topic for McCain, who attended St. Stephen’s, an exclusive school in Alexandria, Va., and then Episcopal High, a private boarding school in the same city, in the 1950s. The son and grandson of Navy admirals, he ended up at the Naval Academy, where, as he often reminds voters, he finished near the bottom of his graduating class.

“While John McCain went to private school, he also went to public university,” said Bounds. “The Naval Academy is as public as public gets,” he added, noting that a four-year military commitment is required following school.

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt declined to comment on the latest iteration of a subject previously raised by Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Hillary Rodham Clinton backer who attended a public school down the road from Punahou, and who cracked before the state's primary that the private school “was not school for the impoverished.”

Obama reportedly responded that he had attended on scholarship and added, “Shame on Danny for trying to pull that stunt."

Well, Obama is an elitist. I love that charge coming from McCain, coming from a long line of Admirals himself. Obama had less austere beginnings. I guess you are an elitist if your an American success story. But McCain is just like us. He had an affair while married to his first wife and he admits it. John Edwards is being destroyed, as was Clinton, because of an affair. Is it fair to categorize McCain as Teflon John? Why the double standard?

John McCain Sleeps with Grover Norquist, One of the Most Corrupt Men in Washington!

The McCain tax plan is essentially a continuation of the agenda articulated by Grover Norquist and others to achieve piecemeal but radical changes to the U.S. tax code under the heading of “Five Easy Pieces.” These changes require huge spending cuts, shift the tax burden away from capital and onto labor, and come at the expense of lower- and middle-income Americans.

Obama's decision to take the family on a Hawaiian vation when Russia has invaded Georgia and while his campaign is stalled, speaks volumes about his poor decision abilities. If he is so oncerned about the energy crisis, why did he fly his family all the way to Hawaii from Chicao? He only cares about himself. Eveyone else is supposed to work is acmpaign. Others families are supposed to conserve but not the Obamas. They are special.

I hope you're not talking about Obama. Success is defined as having accomplishing "something" , that doesn't include being paraded around by the MSM solely based on race, which is all he has going for him.

Republicans are PROUD to be IGNORANT, guilty of "campaigning while stupid." Mc894/899 went to elite prep schools, too. But, Mc894/899 didn't learn anything. He is a dimwit, a flunky. The ONLY reason Mc894/899 got into the Naval Academy was "legacy affirmative action" -- daddy and grandpa were both graduates and admirals. Mc894/899 got into the USNA the same way "W" got into Yale. Yep, the Republicans are definitely "campaigning while stupid." What a great message the GOP is sending out to the youth of America by demeaning Barack Obama, a minority who was a superior student with a superior education. GOP = dumb, dumber, dumbest. Oh, and did I mention that Mc894/899 graduated 894th out of 899 midshipmen at the USNA?

I'm sure the GOP's supporters who either attended boarding schools themselves, or have children doing so, will appreciate this backhand from the McCain campaign.....I guess this means the McCain campaign is also against taxpayer-funded vouchers for students to attend private schools with as little oversight as possible.....Good job McCain, giving more reasons by the minute as to why a vote for you makes no sense from a logical or rational perspective.

Yeah, and Obama got into that school on a scholarship, whereas McCain only got into Annapolis because of his family legacy, meaning at least one more qualified candidate was turned down for that slot. His grades confirm that. The RNC always designs its ads to appeal to people who don't trust education! What does that tell us?

whereas McCain only got into Annapolis because of his family legacy, meaning at least one more qualified candidate was turned down for that slot

Many great soldiers get into the academy's based on legacy. He served his country with honor (unlike Kerry), flew fighter jets and never bashed his country (unlike Kerry). What has Obama done? NOTHING.

Oh, I'm sorry, for a minute there I thought all Presidential candidates had college educations or some form of higher study. Come on RNC, surely you can do better than this. I guess next they will target Obama's big ears, Pathetic

I'm curious, did McCain attend any of his elite schools on a scholarship. This is another outrage and follows in the Obama's kind of "uppity" theme that this site and others in the MSM are doing their best to ignore. If he was a white kid who had put himself through the best schools with hard work and intelligence he'd be the hero.

Wow, just when you think McCain couldn't get more ridiculous. Bingo, he pops out crap like this. Truly low class. But not unexpected from a guy that cheats on his first wife, calls his second trophy wife a *unt, and makes ape-rape jokes. But the press just LOVES them some fine upstanding good ole boy McCain BBQs. YEEHaw!

Think this one through, the Republicans are actually trying to say it is better to "not have a good education"? Obama got into a great school on a scholarship, he was smart. This is bad? Why would the GOP (Grumpy Old People) want to put down someone for being smart? Are they saying that all the uneducated and downright dumb folks should vote for McCain, because he is just like them? That is the message I get! I want a president who is the best educated person on the ballot. Once again the Republicans are giving me reasons to vote for Obama. I guess this shows how smart they are.